Saturday, September 17, 2011

Antique Show Find: Mentor Game

Found this far out game at a summer antique show: Mentor, the Electronic Wizard, made by Hasbro in 1960. The giant bronze plastic head is Mentor. He looks like something out of Metropolis, an Art Deco robot with a mind of his own. To play, you select one of the cardboard game tracks, and insert it into the board. You and Mentor then take turns moving the pawn (a giant finger) along the track. Mentor tells you how many spaces he wants to move by flashing the lightbulbs on the base. First one to the finish wins, and it's usually Mentor.

I had that same game as a child and loved it. I think it is still at my parents house in a closet in my old bedroom as I could never bring myself to throw it out.

Thank you for sharing your pictures of it, brought back great memories. This was not a particularly popular toy at the time which might explain it's scarcity. I believe it was manufactured around the same era as the magic 8 ball when predictive toys were being marketed.

Hi Tracy,Are you interested in selling your Mentor game and your Robert the Robot, pictured above? I had them both as a kid and would like my grandkids to be able to experience them also.Thank you,richpascuzzo@verizon.net

Hi there! Thanks for your interest in my Mentor and Robot, but I'm sorry, they are some of my favorites, and not for sale. There are usually a few floating around eBay, and Robert the Robot was actually reproduced a few years ago. That version would make a good choice for grandkids to play with. Happy Hunting, I hope you find some!

About Me

I'm a library director with a background in museums as well. Given my professional interests, it's probably not surprising that my personal hobbies involve collecting and organizing things: lots of things, mostly old things. I collect antique and vintage toys, holiday stuff, kitschy travel souvenirs, books, and much more. Welcome to my Happy Place, where I randomly post stuff from my collections as the whim strikes me.